MACHIN or MACHYN, HENRY (1498?–1563?), diarist, born about 1498, was according to his own perplexing account, fifty-six on 16 May 1554 (Diary, p. 63), and sixty-six on 20 May 1562 (ib. p. 283). He was a citizen of London, dwelling in the parish of Trinity the Little by Queenhithe, and calls himself a merchant tailor. But his chief occupation seems to have been that of a furnisher of funerals. He was a devout catholic, and welcomed Mary's accession and the restoration of the old religion. On 30 July 1557 he attended an oyster feast at a friend's house in Anchor Lane (ib. p. 143). On 23 Nov. 1561 he did penance at St. Paul's Cross for having circulated a libellous story respecting M. Veron, the French protestant preacher (ib. p. 272; Strype, Annals, i. 237). His ‘Diary’ concludes with an account of an outbreak of the plague in London in July 1563, and it is possible that he himself fell a victim to the disease.

A brother Christopher, also a merchant tailor, died in the parish of St. James on 30 Nov. 1550. A daughter, Catherine, was christened 27 Sept. 1557 (Diary, p. 153), and a niece, ‘Kynlure Machen,’ Christopher's daughter, obtained a license to marry Edward Gardener, a cooper, on 7 July 1562 (ib. p. 287). The interest manifested by the diarist in the families of two persons named John Heath has suggested a relationship between him and them: the one, a sergeant of the king's bakehouse, died in the autumn of 1551 (ib. p. 9); the other, a painter-stainer, lived in Fenchurch Street, and died in the spring of 1553 (ib. p. 32). Each left a widow named Annes. Mrs. Heath, the painter-stainer's wife, may possibly have been the diarist's sister or daughter (ib. p. 105).

Machin kept a diary, which is still extant, from July 1550 till August 1563. The earliest entries record in detail the funerals which he provided in the way of business, but in February 1550–1 he made a note of Bishop Gardiner's committal to the Tower, and thenceforth he interspersed his descriptions of funerals with accounts of the chief public events, paying especial attention to the city pageants and incidents in the religious struggles. Machin was the earliest writer to describe the lord mayor's show. The manuscript of the work is at the British Museum (MS. Cotton. Vitellius F v.), but was severely injured in the fire at the Cottonian Library. After remaining neglected till 1829, the injured leaves were carefully repaired by Sir Frederick Madden. Strype used the manuscript in his ‘Ecclesiastical Memorials and Annals,’ and commended the writer's diligence. The ‘Diary’ was printed by the Camden Society in 1848, being edited by J. G. Nichols.

A family of the name was connected with Gloucestershire, and of this branch Thomas Machen (1568–1614) was demy and fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford (B.A. 1587 and M.A. 1592), a student of Lincoln's Inn 1589, M.P. for Gloucester in 1614, and alderman and thrice mayor of the town (cf. Bloxam, Magd. Coll. Reg. iv. 224). He was buried in Gloucester Cathedral, and an elaborate monument to his memory still stands there (see print in Fosbroke'sHistory of Gloucester). His wife Christian, whom he married in 1564, died in 1615.

Another family of Machon was known in Yorkshire. John Machon (1572–1640?), son of John of Machon Bancko, Sheffield, graduated B.A. from Magdalen College, Oxford, 1594; was vicar of Aston, Warwickshire, 1603, and of Ridgely, Staffordshire, 1620; canon of Lichfield, 1631; master of the hospital of St. John's de Forbrage in Stafford, 1632; and vicar of Hartburn, Northamptonshire, 1632. His son John Machon (1603–1679) graduated B.A. 1624 and M.A. 1626 from Magdalen Hall, Oxford, was master of Christ's Hospital at Sherbourne, co. Durham, and was father of Thomas Machon (d. 27 Feb. 1672–3), chaplain to Prince Rupert, master of St. John the Baptist's Hospital, Lichfield, from 1671, and canon of Lichfield (see Foster, Visitation of Durham and Alumni Oxon. 1500–1714).

One Lewis Machin (fl. 1608) was author, in collaboration with Gervase Markham [q. v.], of a comedy called ‘The Dumbe Knight,’ London, 1608, 1633. Machin signs the address ‘To the Understanding Reader.’ The piece is throughout in blank verse. Shirley makes a casual reference to it in his ‘Example,’ 1637. It is reprinted in Dodsley's ‘Old Plays,’ ed. Hazlitt, x. 108 sq. ‘Three Eclogs’ by Machin are appended to William Barkstead's ‘Mirrha,’ 1607.

MACHIN, JOHN (1624–1664), ejected nonconformist, only son of John Machin (d. 12 March 1653), was born at Seabridge, in the parish of Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, on 2 Oct. 1624. His father held the freehold of the Seabridge estate, which had been in his family since 1531. His mother was Katherine Vernon of Audley, Staffordshire. He was educated under Orme of Newcastle-under-Lyne, and John Ball of Whitmore, Staffordshire. At first he was meant for the bar, then trained to farming as a country gentleman, and 'given to cockfights.' In December 1645 he was admitted at Jesus College, Cambridge. Shortly after this he dates his 'conversion.' In March 1648 he was ill of 'a dangerous spotted feavour,' and after his recovery 'set up a meeting of some schollars for religious purposes,' which he continued for some years after he left the university. He commenced B.A. in 1649, and in the same year received presbyterian ordination at Whitchurch, Shropshire. For about a year he preached in Staffordshire and Cheshire without fixed charge. In 1650 he settled as lecturer every other Sunday at Ashborne, Derbyshire, preaching on the alternate Sunday in the country round. In the spring of 1652 he became lecturer at Atherstone Chapel in the parish of Mancetter, Warwickshire. He was the 'one Macham, a priest in high account,' who prescribed physic and bloodletting for George Fox, the quaker founder. On 17 Nov. 1652 he was called to Astbury, Cheshire, as lecturer, and removed from Atherstone in the spring of 1653. At his own cost (8l. 12s. per annum) he set up a 'double lecture' in twelve Staffordshire towns on the last Friday in each month. He devised the plan on 31 July 1652, and began its execution on 4 Aug. 1653. The last lecture was delivered on 2 Jan. 1660. Walker says he was presented to the rectory of Astbury in 1654. This appears erroneous, for 'by the coming of another incumbent' (George Moxon [q. v.]) his preaching at Astbury was limited to alternate Sundays, giving him opportunity to pursue his ministry at large. Machin and Moxon lived together at the rectory house. On 17 May 1661 he obtained the perpetual curacy of Whitley Chapel, in the parish of Great Budworth, Cheshire. The Uniformity Act of 1662 ejected him from this cure, but he appears to have remained at Whitley, preaching there and in the neighbourhood until the first Conventicle Act came into force (1 July 1664). He was then in bad health, and removed to Seabridge, where he died of malignant fever on Tuesday, 6 Sept. 1664. He was buried on 18 Sept. at Newcastle-under-Lyne. He married at Uttoxeter, on 29 Sept. 1653, Jane, daughter of John Butler, and had four or five children, including Samuel (b. 13 Nov. 1654, d. 29 July 1722), John (d. 5 Aug. 1741, aged 82 years and 10 months), and Sarah.

He published nothing, and is known only from 'A Faithful Narration' of his life, published anonymously in 1671, 12mo, with a 'prefatory epistle ' by Sir Charles Wolseley. According to Philip Henry [q. v.] the author was Henry Newcome [q. v.] of Manchester, who had preceded Machin at Astbury. It is an excellent specimen of later puritan religious biography. It was reprinted in Clarke's 'Lives of Sundry Eminent Persons' (1683), and republished in 1799, 12mo, with notes, by George Burder [q. v.], who married a descendant of Machin.